for people who care about the West

HCN in the classroom

It’s been a long, hot summer, but by the time this issue comes out, we’ll all be complaining that it’s almost over. If you’re an academic type, already contemplating the new semester, you might need an extra mood boost. And we have just the thing: the HCNU classroom program, which provides free subscriptions for you and your students. Professors and teachers of any grade are welcome to sign up. Call us, email [email protected], or see hcn.org/edu.

Summer’s end also brings us closer to Election Day. And while this year’s -bewildering presidential contest has dominated the news, there are some great Western races to watch, too. HCN’s strength lies in our community of readers, so we’re requesting your help with political coverage. Which races should we be paying attention to? Call us or tip us online.

We always enjoy visitors to our Paonia, Colorado, headquarters, like Bryan Burke, from Eloy, Arizona, who took a break from boating the Colorado River to say hello. He’s attempting to run the length of the river, along with all tributaries 50 miles or longer. Over the last few years, he’s done 2,300 miles and has just 800 more to go. Good luck, Bryan!

Longtime subscriber Jean Rodeck came by in early July to share stories from her long career as an interpretive planner at the National Park Service. She’s worked at more than 100 parks in the Southwest and Alaska, and though she’s been retired for 14 years now, she says she still has “green blood.” We don’t doubt it, Jean.

In late July, newlyweds Andrew and Natalie Kuhlmann dropped by. They’d traveled from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to get married in nearby Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Andrew, a senior assistant attorney general for the state of Wyoming, often deals with mining issues, he says, and appreciates our coverage. Natalie is an -archives technician for Wyoming, digitizing records and helping the public with research. She was excited to see our stacks of bound HCN volumes going back to 1969. Next on the happy couple’s itinerary: local wineries and hot springs. Cheers and congrats, Andrew and Natalie!

A few corrections: In a recent story focused on the Latino community and nature, we incorrectly stated that José González applied to Redwoods National Park rather than to a nonprofit organization for redwoods conservation (“A new kind of outdoor group,” 6/27/16). In our July 25 issue, we wrote that William Keebler, the Utah man charged in June with attempting to blow up a BLM building in Arizona, had previously scouted the site with Lavoy Finicum, a spokesman for the occupiers at Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (“FBI nabs suspected BLM bomber”). That information, published in the FBI’s criminal complaint, was incorrect; the agency now says Finicum did not scout the location with Keebler. HCN regrets the errors.

Correction: We incorrectly stated loyal reader Bryan Burke was trail running the Colorado River, rather than boating it and its tributaries. As he pointed out, foot travel would be even more quixotic than his current itinerary.